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Last night, I spent a lovely night out with my current "Nightscapes and Star Trails" Photography Workshop class. We took a short drive to a lookout on the western edge of town where we could test out camera techniques on the Milky Way. While there, we saw a mag. -2 ISS transit, and a bright -4 mag. fireball. Looked like space junk from the colours and the way it broke up on re-entry. I also saw what may have been a very brief rocket booster plume. It wasn't very big or bright and by the time I directed the rest of them to it, it had faded.
Great to see the excitement these phenomena generated. After ironing out the wrinkles with their gear it was approaching midnight, I took out my Orion 9x63 binos. In the classrom on Wednesday night, most of them said they were doing the course to enable them to do nightscape photography. They didn't have much interest in astronomy more generally. Undaunted, I found a spot where the Andromeda Galaxy was perched over a tree low on the northern horizon and gave them all a look at it through the big binos. The site is fairly light polluted - Bortle 4 skies (Yellow zone). Nonetheless and as I expected, the view of the galaxy seemed to excite them all despite their declared lack of interest in astronomy.
Today is cloudy with high winds but this front should pass through by sunset. Tonight is predicted completely clear from twilight onwards. We are driving an hour out of town to a much darker site, Bortle 2 skies, the place where I took this image some weeks ago -
Added bonus, there will be a -3.6 mag ISS transit during twilight!
Cheers
Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site :http://joe-cali.com/ Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80. Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's. Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12 Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec. Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members), The Sky Searchers (moderator)
Wow, what a nice pic!
And what a clever move to show the so-called "not-interested" the Andromeda Galaxy!
I love it when a plan comes together! Great work!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX. GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets). Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5. Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS,*Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40 Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt. Amateur astronomer since 1970.
First time I’ve seen star reflections on the water, cool!
Thanks,
Jim
Jim
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), ZWO OAG, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, ASI 220mm mini , IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
Piet Le Roux wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:14 am
I love it! please give us some info about it : iso, exposure time lens and F ?
Hi Piet,
The image was posted previously in the Nightscapes.
This image was captured from a bridge at the same location as last nights field trip, 7 weeks ago.
I decided to separate land and sky and capture longer with a lower ISO. I captured the stars with an ISO1600, 3 minute f2.8 exposure tracking using ASTROTRACE, the Pentax tracking system that uses the image stabilisation sensor to track the stars and just minutes later, the fog came in and formed along the left bank. I turned off the ASTROTRACER and captured the landscape with an ISO1600, 4 minute, f2.8 exposure then blended sky and land in Photoshop.
Peter802 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 10:08 am
wow Joe, I love this image.
Would you allow me to use it as my wallpaper on my laptop?
Thank you for sharing it.
Hi Peter
Sure thing, no problem.
Thanks for asking permission.
Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site :http://joe-cali.com/ Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80. Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's. Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12 Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec. Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members), The Sky Searchers (moderator)
Great shots Joe.
I envy you that river.
Most nights here I can't get direct sky images as good as yours reflected in the water!
Scopes: 200mm f6 DOB:CR 6 150 mm f 7.5 refractor, SW ED 80 mm f 7.5. 2 X 80 mm f7.5 guides.
Mount: AVX.
NexGuide auto guider. Cameras 3 Ti and XS modded. I optron Skytracker.
Motley EP collection.
Lovelly photos for sure. Always enjoy ppl posting great shots . Thanks for sharing them . Not sure where that bridge is though, over the murrumbidgee somewhere out there perhaps. Its a shame to see that big dome empty at mount stromlo now. I checked it out when visiting floriade recently . Also visited tidbinbilla deep space centre to see "our gifted" piece of the moon ... thanks Phill
Phill. Dreaming of Clear Skys ....
SCOPE : Skywatcher 120X600 ST Achromatic Refractor.
EP's : 25mm & 10mm Plossl , Celestron 8/24mm Zoom EP,
Filters : Solar filter, Badder Fringe Killer & Moon/Skyglow.
MOUNT : Skywatcher Star Discovery goto Mount.
CAMERAS : ZWO 120 asi MC. / Sony HX400V 50X Zoom.
Binoculars : Saxon 10x50
Ozypic wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:20 pm
Lovelly photos for sure. Always enjoy ppl posting great shots . Thanks for sharing them . Not sure where that bridge is though, over the murrumbidgee somewhere out there perhaps. Its a shame to see that big dome empty at mount stromlo now. I checked it out when visiting floriade recently . Also visited tidbinbilla deep space centre to see "our gifted" piece of the moon ... thanks Phill
Phill. It’s the Taemas bridge between Yass and Wee Jasper. 30 k south of Yass. Check it out one night. Cheers Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site :http://joe-cali.com/ Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80. Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's. Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12 Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec. Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members), The Sky Searchers (moderator)
goldstar wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 10:26 pm
Great shots Joe.
I envy you that river.
Most nights here I can't get direct sky images as good as yours reflected in the water!
Gold Star
If you come to Canberra one day get in touch and I will take you out there.
Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site :http://joe-cali.com/ Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80. Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's. Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12 Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec. Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members), The Sky Searchers (moderator)
